Green Zone League Articles

1.1 - CB Morris ClaiborneAfter 5 successful seasons with the Buccaneers, Claiborne was traded to the Bears for some cap relief. There was never anything wrong with his performance in Tampa Bay and did what you'd expect from a number 1 pick, however his first year in Chicago saw a significant injury that limited his playing time and this year is a bit on the average side.

1.2 - QB Matt BarkleyBarkley hasn't lit up the league but he's been a consistent performer and earned himself a long term restructure with the Panthers. As expected his first year was a fizzer but since then he's kept his QB rating around the mid-to-high 80's with 22+ touchdowns thrown each year since his third season.

1.3 - CB Dre KirkpatrickKirkpatrick has done a reasonable job in his early career on a struggling Falcons team. His interception numbers lifted after his first two years and he has been a reliable corner ever since, even with a trade to Jacksonville. He's shown his value to his new team over the past 3 years and has stood up on his deflection to catches allowed ratio this year.

1.4 - HB Trent RichardsonRushed for 1200+ yards in his first 3 years with the 49ers but really didn't rock the league as expected. A trade to Houston saw an instant boost in his output with 1700+ yards in the next 3 seasons under a new coach and GM, including 1870 yards in his first year as a Texan at 5.14 yards per carry (his career best so far).

1.5 - QB Boston MallettMallett drafted by Mallett was a big talking point at the time, but the career of Boston to date has been a bit of a roller coaster. He's always managed a season with more touchdowns then interceptions and at least a QB rating over 74, but he's gone from the lofty heights of a 4600 yard, 38 touchdown season in his sophomore year to 1900 yards and 10 touchdowns 2 years later. He's still in Cleveland and his newest GM has him on track for his cleanest season yet in regards to turnovers.

1.6 - QB Robert Griffin IIIThe Bills ran with the hardships of developing the scrambling RG3 over his first 3 seasons but then shipped him out to Oakland after landing the services of Andrew Luck. He's been an average performer over this time as he's played second fiddle to the run game but has managed an 88+ QB rating in 2 seasons at Oakland.

1.7 - QB Brandon WeedenA desperation pick by the 49ers here, Weeden only got the start in his first year because they had no-one else and was replaced by Geno Smith the following year. Rode the pine and spot filled for Smith until he was released at the end of his rookie contract this off season. As he started in the league at such a mature age he's almost to the point of retirement already too.

1.8 - CB Stephen GilmoreGilmore has been a solid performer for the Rams over the past 7 seasons, even if he's not known for catching a lot of interceptions. He's quietly developed into a dependable corner and can be used in a shut down role.

1.9 - RT Chris FaulkFaulk just signed a new deal to stay with the Giants for another 5 years even if he has struggled at times to block consistently. He's averaged 8 sacks allowed per year from the right tackle position and has only cracked the 100 pancake mark twice (once in his rookie year). This year he has been doubly down with only 56 pancakes in 13 weeks and his worst pancake to sack ratio of his career at 6.22.

1.10 - DT Dontari PoePoe had a successful 5 years with the Packers before they made the salary move of trading him to Carolina in 2018 following a disappointing year. He spent 1 season with the Panthers before hitting the match eligible free agent market and took the big bucks offer to move to Seattle this year where he's performed at his normal level.

1.11 - LE Quiton CouplesCoples was a consistent performer in his early career, notching at least 10 sacks in 4 consecutive years, including a monster 2016 with 69 tackles, 20 for loss and 17 sacks. Since that year his numbers have been down, only managing 9 sacks twice as his highest output in Washington since his resign.

1.12 - CB Camden PietarilaPietarila did it tough in Oakland for his first 4 years as he came in and took the reins of a depleted secondary and had to stand up as the main guy from day 1. He did the job well under pressure but then dropped off with his interception and deflection numbers, resulting in a trade to Dallas where those troubles continued until this year where he's stepped up as more of a shutdown corner.

1.13 - RG Barrett JonesJones had a slow start with only 33 pancakes in his rookie year, but since then he has done an outstanding job as a right guard in Buffalo (with the exception of 2015). He has a career pancake to sack ratio of 16.43 and normally doesn't let through more then 4 pancakes a year in a tough position.

1.14 - CB Marquis RobinsonRobinson was on a gradual rise of improvement from his rookie year to 2017 but has since turned from a pick machine to a lock down role as he denies more passes now then in previous years. He's still a very solid corner in Kansas City but with rumblings or trade potential around it may be a different landscape next season.

1.15 - MLB Manti Te'oTe'o missed almost the first half of his rookie campaign due to a pre-season injury, but ever since then he has been a stalwart defender for the Ravens. He can be relied upon to deliver 120 tackles and 17 for loss each year as the defensive anchor in Baltimore.

1.16 - MLB Luke KuechlyKuechly's level of consistency is lower then Te'o above but he's also reached greater heights with a 155 tackle year in 2015. He's a solid 100+ tackle player for the Vikings and has been reliable since his first start.